Pelt stretching apparatus



Filed Sept. 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l 643.2772 2') fr/Zzre027fi INVENTOR ATTORN EYS c. F. JURECZKI 2,185,441

FELT STRETCHING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTOR N EYS c. F. JURECZKI 2,185,441 FELT STRETCHING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J4 J4 017 P INVENTOR ATTOR N EYS Patented Jan. 2, 1940 stares FATENT DFFIQE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to pelt stretching apparatus and has for one of its objects to improve generally upon apparatus of this character.

Another object is to provide simplified structural elements adjustable for pelts of different sizes and for stretching the pelts in generally square, oblong and round shapes.

A further object is to provide for removability and interchangeability of the stretcher elements.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages to be attained, the invention consists in the novel general structure and in the parts and combinations and arrangement of parts thereof as hereinafter described and set forth with particularity in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention and in which,

Figure l is a top plan view of the apparatus arranged for stretching a pelt of generally square shape;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, illustrating details of the operator for the stretching elements;

Figure 3 is a section taken on or about the line Zi3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detailed view of the ratchet controlling device detached;

Figure 5 is a cross section of the ratchet controlling device detached, the section being taken on or about the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating a fragment of the main body frame and the correlated. attaching and adjusting elements for the pelt carrying and stretching members;

Figure 7 is a view illustrating the latch member on the adjustable carrier for the stretcher member engaged with the ratchet teeth on the main body frame;

Figure 8 is a detailed sectional view of one of stretcher elements taken on or about the line 8-8 of Figure 1 and showing the provision for slidably attaching the grab hook thereon;

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of the looped connections of the operating cable to the respective stretching elements;

Figure 1.0 is a fragmentary plan view illustrata modification of the elements for stretching pelt of round shape;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary section taken on or about the line i l-! l of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a detailed view of the double pin elements for securing the clips by which the round pelt stretching elements are attached to the primary stretcher elements; and

Figure 13 is a fragmentary View of one of the stretcher elements illustrating a modification of the means for attaching the grab hooks.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral l designates generally an outer main body frame which, as shown, is square. The respective side members of this frame are of rectangular boxlike cross section, each being formed of a single sheet of metal rebent to produce inner and outer walls 2 and 3, respectively, which are connected by end walls 4 and 5, the end wall 5 being xtended inwardly beyond the inner wall 2 and the marginal portion 6 thereof being rebent back over the adjacent face of the wall 2 in spaced relation thereto to provide a slideway i for adjustable bracket members 8 to be now described. These bracket members, as shown more clearly in Figure 6, each comprises a body plate slidable on the face of the wall portion 2 of the outer frame I, the end marginal portion of said body plate riding in the channel I of the body frame, and a portion of the body plate being rebent with lateral offset, as at 9, providing a transverse channel to straddle a longitudinal fin it formed on the plate portion 2 of the body frame adjacent the margin of the rebent portion 6 of the body frame.

The body plate of the bracket member 8 is flanged, as at H, at its end opposite to that which rides in the channel I of the body frame i, a portion of the body plate of the bracket member which is narrower than the upper portion being extended downwardly from the flange H, as at i2, and provided with flanges 3 at its opposite side margins, the downturned plate portion I2 being provided with an aperture Hi at or about the middle thereof. The laterally offset portion 9 not only provides a channel for straddling the longitudinal fin ID on the main body frame but it further serves to stiffen the plate '8 and also provides a support for a latch member l5 which is pivoted on the portion 9, as at it, and provided with a leaf spring ll normally urging a lug l3 on the end of said latch member 15 into engagement with ratchet teeth as formed on the fin it and arranged in sets for preventing movement of the respective bracket members 8 in one direction, as will later more fully appear, and for holding the latch member l5 depressed against the action of the spring I! and with the lug I8 disengaged from the ratchet teeth l9, when so desired, a detent in the form of a wire bail 2!] is hingedly mounted, as at 2|, on the offset portion 9 of the bracket members so as to be swung onto and off of the depressed latch member at Will.

The bracket members 8 are arranged in opposed pairs on opposite sides of the main body frame I to support stretcher bars 22 which are arranged in crossed pairs, the end portions 23 of said bars 22 being received between the flange portions l3 of the plate extensions l2 of the bracket members 8 and held fiatwise against plate portions l2 by clevises 25 whose opposite plate portions 25 straddle the interfitted end portions of the stretcher bars and bracket members and the one clevis straddling the other, said plate portions 25 being provided with apertures 25' and the end portions 23 of the stretcher members 22 having apertures 23', said apertures 23 and 25' registering with the aperture I in the bracket plate portion l2 for the reception of a securing pin 26.

For actuating the respective correlated pairs of bracket members 8 to adjust the attached stretcher bars 22 either closer to each other to facilitate the hooking of the pelt to said bars or for moving the bars further apart to effect the stretching of the pelt, a main operating cable 21 is provided, said cable being looped around three pulleys located at three corners of the main body frame I and indicated at 2B, 29 and 30 in the diagram illustrated in Figure 9, one end portion of the cable, indicated by the numeral 3| and hereinafter referred to as the forward or outward pulling end being attached to a drum 32 and wound on the drum when it is rotated in a clockwise direction by accordingly turning the operating crank 33, said cable 2'! being carried to the drum 32 directly from the corner pulley 35. The opposite end portion of the cable 21, designated by the numeral 34, is attached to the drum 32 so as to be wound thereon when the drum is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the cable being carried from the corner pulley 28 under a pulley 35 to the drum. It is here noted that a definite length of each end portion 3! and 34 is wound normally on the drum 32 obviously in sufiicient amount for the one end portion to be played out proportionately while the other end portion is being wound on the drum.

As shown, the drum 32 is mounted in a supplemental supporting and protective frame 36 located at the adjacent corner portion of the main body frame 8, the drum having a peripherally notched detent disc 31 fixed on its shaft to rotate therewith, said detent disc being variably engaged by a spring pressed combined reversible ratchet and locking bolt 38 which is mounted in an adjacent guide bracket 39. The bolt is provided at its outer end with a knob All by which it may be retracted against the tension of its spring element ll from engagement with the detent disc 31 and also turned about its longitudinal axis either a full half turn to reverse the ratchet action of its end portion or only a quarter turn to eliminate the ratchet action entirely and dispose the bevelled end portion of the bolt transversely of the detent disc so as to eifectively lock the disc against rotation in either direction. So, too, by holding the bolt retracted and entirely clear of the detent disc 31 the latter is obviously free to rotate in either direction. To permit this selective retraction of the bolt 38 and its return to the desired engagement with the detent disc 31, the base portion 42 of the bracket 39 is provided with three slots 43 in a triangular arrangement to receive a radial stud 44 whereby to releasably lock the bolt in its respective rotated positions. Preferably, the bolt is provided with a pointer 45 which cooperates with a dial 46 provided on the cover 41 of the supplemental bracket 36 to indicate the position to which the bolt is turned in its adjustment.

Each of the bracket members 8 which carry the stretcher bars 22 is connected to the main operating cable 21 by a specially looped auxiliary cable 48 or 49, as the case may be, there being four of the auxiliary cables 48 and a like number of the auxiliary cables 49 for the assembly in the particular apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the relative arrangement of the auxiliary cables being illustrated with particularity in the diagram in Figure 9. The respective auxiliary cables 48 are connected midway between their ends to the main operating cable 21, as at 55, said auxiliary cables being carried over a pair of opposed pulleys and attached at their opposite ends to the clevises 2 of the adjacent bracket members 8. The auxiliary cables 49 comprise two members, one of which is attached at one end to the main cable 21, as at 52, and thence carried about an opposed pair of pulleys 53 and having its opposite end attached to one of the clevises 2d of the bracket member 8 of the correlated stretcher bar 22, the other member of the auxiliary cable 49 being attached at one end to the main cable 21, as at 54, and carried between a pair of pulleys 55 and having its opposite end attached to the opposed clevises 24 on the correlated bracket member 8.

As shown, the bracket member for supporting the upper end of the right vertical stretcher bar 22 is attached to the main operator cable 21 by one of the plain looped auxiliary cables 48, while the opposite bracket member supporting the lower end of said bar is connected to the cable by one of the relooped auxiliary cables .9. The left vertical stretcher bar 22 is connected to the main operator cable 2'! in reversed order, that is to say, the plain looped auxiliary cable 48 is at the bottom and the re-looped auxiliary cable 49 is at the top. By this arrangement, when the forward pulling end of the cable 21 is wound on the drum 32 the two vertical stretcher bars 22 are moved outwardly and away from each other, and the two auxiliary stretcher bars 22, which are attached to the main cable 21 with a corresponding auxiliary cable hook-up to that of the vertical bars, are simultaneously moved apart, it being obvious that when the direction of travel of the main cable is reversed the stretcher bars 22 are moved inwardly and towards each other.

The respective stretcher bars 22 are provided with longitudinal slots 56 in their opposite end portions which cross in the assembled arrangement of the bars in the main body frame l, clamping bolts 51 being inserted through the crossed bars 22 where their slots 56 intersect, said bolts 5! being provided with wing nuts 58 which are readily loosened to permit adjustment of the bars 22 and tightened so as to secure said bars in their adjusted position.

Each of the stretcher bars 22 has provision. for adjustably supporting a multiplicity of grab members or hooks 59 along its inner marginal portion for the attachment of the pelt 60 to be stretched. This is preferably accomplished by forming the bars with undercut longitudinal grooves Bl in which the headed inner end portions area-441 3 oi the grab members or hooks 59 are'slidably received and supported. In this connection, it is noted that the respective stretcher bars 22 may be made integrally throughout the length there- 5 of and of either wood or metal, but, as shown, they each preferably comprise a wooden core or filler which is incased in a sheet metal sheath lit whose opposite marginal portions are extended beyond the adjacent edge of the core or filler '62 i and turned inwardly, as at lit, to produce the undercut channel or groove 6 l. However, instead of flanging the opposite end portions of the sheathing it to provide the channel or groove 'Gii as just above described and more clearly shown 5 in Figures 6 and '8, the opposite marginal portion of the bar .222 where the sheathing 63 is rebent about the core or filler E2 may be formed with a series of T-s'haped notches iii to receive and retain the "headed end portions of the grab membars or hooks 59, as shown in Figure 13.

While the adjustment of the crossed stretcher bars 22 towards or from each other may be generally effected by moving the main operating cable ii lineally in either direction other pro- 25 vision is made for adjusting said bars 22 relative to each other in that the end portions of the respective auxiliary cables ie and til have an adjustable attachment to the respective clevises 24. As the same means of attachment is provided for 3d both of the auxiliary cables 48 and it the same reference characters will be employed and a single description of one connection will suiiice. As shown more clearly in Figures 1 and 6, the end portions 65 are carried through an aperture 68 35 in the looped end portions of the clevises 2d and thence looped over the outside of the clevises where they are engaged by hinged bails Ell which bind said end portions of the cables to the clevises. By this provision adjustment oi. the

m stretcher bars 22 is readily effected by swinging the bails ii! out of binding engagement with the end portions of the respective auxiliary cables at and it and then drawing the end portions 65 of the auxiliary cables through the apertures til 45 in the clevises 26 in the proper direction and then swinging the bails back to clamping position on the clevises. In this way, the crossed stretcher bars 22 may be adjusted and set in normal position and in either a true square or an oblong 50 relation, as may be desired, and that particular relation will be maintained in subsequent adjustment of the bars by operation of the main operator cable 2? which. is wound on the drum 32 caused to travel in either direction, by turning the crank 33; as hereinbefore described.

After the stretcher bars 22 have been moved apart sufiiciently to stretch the pelt til, as shown attached in Figure 1, the respective wing 58 are tightened on the bolts 5'! to lock the bars 50 22 in the relative position to which they have been moved, and thereafter the bolts or pins 25 are removed to permit the disengagement of the clevises M and the bars 22 from the bracket members 8 so that the entire frame including the four 65 bars 22 as fastened by the bolts 5'! and wing nuts 58 may be removed intact from the main body frame 5 with the stretched pelt SB thereon and tra .sferred to a special drier or other place where the pelt is to be dried and cured. To stretch 7 another pelt a different set of the bars 22 is attached to the respective bracket members ti and the clevises 2d accordingly applied as before described.

In addition to the provision for stretching the 75 pelts .in square or oblong form, further provision is made :for stretching pelts in true circular or round vform,.as illustrated in Figure 10. For this purpose supplemental arcuate members 68 are provided in sets of four, an opposed pair of said members -68 having their end portions lapped 5 over the adjacent end portions of the other pair in diametrically opposed relation to each other. In practice, each set of the arcuate members til is made to produce a ring of a given diameter in the expanded relation of the memberssaid members being contracted'to produce a ring of smaller diameter which, obviously, is not a true circle but is approximately such while the pelt is being attachedsprior to the stretching thereof. As shown, the overlapped end portions of the members 63 are provided with diagonal slots 69 which registerior the reception oi. clamping bolts m provided with wing nuts "H which are loosened during inward and outward adjustment of said members so and tightened to hold said members as in their expanded relation, in which relation the. circular unit thus provided and set with the stretched pelt iii thereon may be removed from the stretcher bars 22 and transferred to the place where the pelt is to be dried and cured. 25

Any suitable means may be provided for detachably mounting assembled unit comprising the members 68 on the stretcher bars 22 of the apparatus. As shown, clips F2 are provided to straddle the middle portion of each of the members lit and the underlying portions of the bars '22, said clips being provided with apertures to align with apertures provided therefor in the respective stretcher bars 2-2 for the bifurcated bolts or pins it, by which provision, with the 35 wing nuts 'li loosened on the bolts til and also due to the special arrangement of the diagonal registered slots 59, said arcuate members 68 move in the same lateral direction with the bars and the stretching of the pelt Ell is effected by the manipulation of the drum 32 to wind the main operator cable 21 thereon as in the stretching of the pelts in square and rectangular form hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing it is apparent that a simple yet practical and efiicient apparatus is produced in which adjustable stretcher elements are removably and interchangeably applied to the main body frame for stretching pelts of different sizes and in either square, oblong, circular or round form, while the apparatus illustrated embodies a practical adaptation of the invention it is obvious that considerable alteration and modification may be made in the general structure and parts thereof Without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown in the accompanying drawings.

1. In a pelt stretching apparatus. a rectangular body frame, bracket members slidably mounted on said oody frame, said bracket members being arranged in correlated pairs, the members of the respective pairs being disposed in opposed relation to each other on opposite sides of said body frame, crossed pairs of stretcher bars detachably mounted at their opposite ends on the respective correlated pairs of bracket members, said stretcher bars having a slot-and-bolt engagement with each other whereby to be releasably locked in. adjusted relation to each other, means for marginally attaching a pelt to the adjacent portions of said crossed stretcher bars within a central area defined by said bars, and means for actuating said bracket members in 75 opposite directions on said body frame whereby to move said stretcher bars in their paired and crossed relation toward and from each other, said means comprising a main operator cable looped rectangularly about said main body frame, a reversely rotatable winding drum, the opposite end portions of said main operator cable being attached to said drum whereby the one portion is wound on the drum as the other portion is unwound therefrom, and looped auxiliary operator cables connecting said main operator cable to the respective bracket members.

2. In a pelt stretching apparatus, a rectangular main body frame, bracket members slidably mounted on said body frame, said bracket members being arranged in correlated pairs, the members of each pair being located in opposed relation to each other on opposite sides of the main body frame, crossed pairs of stretcher bars detachably mounted at their opposite ends on the respective correlated pairs of bracket members,

said stretcher bars having a slot-and-bolt connection with each other whereby to be releasably locked in adjusted relation, pairs of opposed clevises detachably secured to said bracket members conjointly with the attachment of the respective stretcher bars thereto, and means for actuating said bracket members on said main body frame whereby to move the crossed pairs of stretcher bars toward and from each other, said means including a main operator cable supportingly looped rectangularly about said main body frame, auxiliary operator cables attached to said main operator cable and supportingly looped on said main body frame in cooperative relation to the respective bracket members, the end portions of said auxiliary cables being adjustably secured to the opposed pairs of clevises on said bracket members, a drum to Which the opposite ends of said main operator cable are attached and on which the adjacent portions of the cable are reversely wound, selectively controlled means for releasably holding said drum in operative position and for rotating thedrum in opposite directions, at will, and means for marginally attaching a pelt to the adjacent portions of the crossed stretcher bars defining a central working area for the reception of the pelt and the stretching operation thereon.

3. In a pelt stretching apparatus, a rectangular main body frame, correlated pairs of bracket members slidably mounted on opposite sides of said main body frame, crossed pairs of stretcher bars supported at their opposite ends on said bracket members, correlated intermediate portions of said stretcher bars defining a central rectangular working area for the reception of a pelt to be stretched, means for actuating said bracket members in opposite directions on said main body frame whereby to move the crossed pairs of stretcher bars towards and from each other, a supplemental stretcher frame of round form detachably mountable on said intermediate portions of said crossed pairs of stretcher bars, said supplemental frame being contractible and expansible to move with said stretcher bars and having means for releasably locking it in adjusted position, and means on said supplemental frame for attaching a pelt marginally thereto.

4. In a pelt stretching apparatus, a main body frame, crossed pairs of stretcher bars movably supported at their ends in said frame and having a slot-anol-bolt connection with each other whereby to be releasably locked in adjusted relation to each other, means for simultaneously moving said pairs of bars toward and from each other, the intermediate portions of said bars defining a central rectangular working area and having provision for the marginal attachment of a pelt to be stretched, and a supplemental stretcher frame of round form detachably mountable on said intermediate portions of the crossed stretcher bars, said supplemental frame being contractible and expansible to move with said stretcher bars and having internal means for marginallyattachingapelt thereto to be stretched.

5. In a pelt stretching apparatus, a main body frame, a main operator cable stretched in a loop supportingly on and about said main body frame, manually operable reversible winding means to which the opposite ends of said cable are attached whereby the cable is movable lineally in opposite directions, at will, crossed pairs of stretcher bars, means for releasably locking said bars in adjusted relation to each other, bracket members slidably mounted on said main body frame and having provision for detachably securing the end portions of said stretcher bars thereto, and means for actuating said bracket members on said main body frame whereby to move the respective pairs of stretcher bars towards and from each other, said actuating means comprising auxiliary operator cables attached to said main operator cable and supportingly looped on said main body frame in correlation to the respective bracket members, the ends of said auxiliary cables being adjustably attached to the correlated bracket members.

6. In a pelt stretching apparatus, a main body frame, a main operator cable stretched in a loop supportingly on and about said main body frame, manually operable reversible winding means to which the opposite ends of said cable are attached whereby the cable is moved lineally in opposite directions, at will, crossed pairs of stretcher bars, means for releasably locking said bars in adjusted relation to each other, bracket members slidably mounted on said main body frame and having provision for detachably securing the end portions of said stretcher bars thereto, and means for actuating said bracket members on said main body frame whereby to move the respective pairs of stretcher bars towards and from each other, said actuating means comprising auxiliary operator cables attached to said main operator cable and supportingly looped on said main body frame in correlation to the respective bracket members, the ends of said auxiliary cables being adjustably attached to the correlated bracket members, the intermediate portions of said stretcher bars constituting a rectangular stretching frame for a correspondingly shaped pelt and having provision for the marginal attachment of the pelt thereto, and a supplemental contractible and expansible stretching frame detachably mountable on said intermediate portions of the stretcher bars whereby to be movable therewith, said supplemental frame being of circular form and having provision for the marginal attachment of a correspondingly shaped pelt, and means for releasably locking the members of said circular frame in adjusted relation to each other.

7. In a pelt stretcher, a supporting frame having guide-ways extending longitudinally of its respective side members and a longitudinal fin extending parallel and in correlation with each of said guide-Ways, bracket members comprising body plates slidable on said frame side members,

the end marginal portions of said body plates 75 riding in the guide-ways of said frame members and adjacent portions of the plates being rebent and ofiset outwardly so as to straddle the adjacent fins on said frame members, the fins being formed with series of ratchet teeth, latch members movably mounted on the rebent ofiset portions of said body plates of the respective bracket members and normally spring-urged to engage said fins, means for releasably holding said latch members in retracted position, means on said bracket members for the detachable engagement of stretcher bars, pairs of opposed clevises c0- operatively engaging said bracket members and stretcher bars in overlapping relation, means for releasably locking said parts together, operator cables, and means for detachably securing said cables to the respective clevises.

8. In a pelt stretcher, a main body frame,

crossed pairs of stretcher bars having slot-andbolt connections whereby to be releasably secured in adjusted relation to each other, supporting brackets detachably secured to the opposite end portions of the said stretcher bars, said brackets being slidably mounted on said main body frame, the frame having elongated fins formed with ratchet teeth, the brackets having rebent outwardly offset portions straddling the fins and carrying spring-pressed latch members normally engaging said fins, means on said brackets for releasably holding the latch members retracted from engagement with said fins, and operator means on said main body frame for moving the brackets in opposite directions and for holding the brackets in operated position.

CASIMIR F. JURECZKI. 

